Every so often, we catch ourselves daydreaming about having superpowers. Imagine being able to teleport, fly to another planet—just to de-stress, snap our fingers to turn someone into some odd creature just to intimidate them, or even become invisible to avert an unpleasant moment.
We all have wished for such abilities at some point. Pondering over this thought leads to the realization that the closest things to superpowers in our daily mundane lives are the attributes of highly successful CEOs, billionaires, and top politicians.
Who is a Leader?
We often hear the term "born leader," but is this the case? Are some people truluy born with a natural ability to lead, or do some individuals have a greater inclination toward leadership while others must work harder to achieve it? The reality is that no radioactive spider can grant the superpower of leadership. True leaders are shaped by their experiences, the challenges they overcome, their failures, and their meticulously planned successes.
Traits of a Desirable Leader
As we advance, let’s understand and examine the seven most crucial and desirable superpowers or abilities that characterize a 21st-century leader.
The first and exceptionally important trait is empathy. We hear this word being thrown around all the time, but what does it mean? Empathy can be described as the feeling of understanding the plight and emotional state of other people, the ability to gauge problems, and the construction of solutions to elevate performance and motivation. But make no mistake: empathy doesn't mean agreeing with everything that the team says; it means discerning what they're struggling with and helping them find a way through that makes a significant difference.
How Critical Thinking is Critical for Leaders
Another desirable superpower is strategic or critical thinking. Leaders at every level need to be critical thinkers. Critical thinking helps understand the situation better before forming opinions and deciding. Such leaders also train others to practice analytical thinking, brainstorm ideas, share diverse opinions, and present their beliefs and thoughts more coherently to improve overall performance. Using pre-acquired skills and knowledge to reason out methods of proceeding forward and tackling problems faced by the organization are handy skill sets for an effective result-oriented leader.
In this journey to explore the superpowers, we realize that leadership skills are attainable and can be practiced with sheer dedication and a willingness to grow. One can enhance and develop these skills to make a significant impact in one's life.
In the next part, we shall continue to reveal and understand the superpowers that churn out great leaders
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